Thanatos
by Rydia Highwind
Summary: OoT - Sheik's thoughts and feelings throughout the game. Shounen ai.
1. Overture

Author: Rydia Highwind  
Email: chichiri_is_hot@hotmail.com  
Fandom: Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time (in-game)  
Rating: probably eventually R. PG, for this chapter.  
Summary: Sheik's thoughts and feelings throughout the game.  
Warning: Eventual shounen ai (in other words, two boys getting it on), Link/Sheik. Semi-AU, as in Sheik and Zelda are not the same person. This will be explained in later chapters. Sheik is nutso, despite my best efforts to make him otherwise. I can't write normal characters, apparently. First person, present tense.  
Disclaimer: The characters (despite occasional shop owners and the like) and the setting aren't mine, though I wish they were cause I'd be rich then.  
  
-----  
  
**Thanatos**  
by Rydia Highwind  
  
Chapter 1 : Overture  
  
-----  
  
I cannot stay here, I cannot leave  
Just like all I loved, I'm make believe  
Imagined heart, I disappear  
Seems... no one will appear here and make me real  
  
- A.F.I. "This Time Imperfect"  
  
  
It is one of those days where the sun doesn't shine, though it hasn't here in years, and the fires from atop Death Mountain aren't enough to properly light this decrepit city. I almost cannot remember a day when the city looked alive, a day without the mangled remains of unfortunate Hylians moaning on the streets, a day where the sun did not fear to see such a place. Back then, we did not come to the city much and now I wish we had. Things will never be the same as before the Dark One came.  
  
It is one of those days and I am waiting inside the Temple of Time for him to come, for events have taken a startling turn and he will need guidance. They have seen him coming, searching for the guidance only we can offer.   
  
He comes and I already know something is wrong. It is not so much that they have told me, no, I can't hear them so well here, but I see it in his stance. Weary, head bowed, his left arm hangs limp at his side and his right hand clasps it tightly. He is stumbling slightly as he moves forward, up the steps to the temple. He pauses in his injured gait for a moment to lean against the doorframe.   
  
It is an automatic response for some to aid an injured man, and I find myself moving toward him without thought of doing otherwise. But my steps falter as I recheck my thoughts. No, he probably does not even know I am here. I am still hidden beyond the door of time, he cannot have possibly seen me yet.   
  
My thoughts and gaze return to him, now, as he finally pushes away from his pause at the entrance. As he slowly makes his way closer, the light spilling from the three spiritual stones he gathered seven years ago illuminates his face. He seems very pale, but that may be from the colored glow of the gems.   
  
There is no blood staining his clothing that I can see, as he finally makes it and rests again against the altar holding the stones. No blood on his fingers where he holds his arm, no other indication that he is even injured aside from his stumbling steps and the hand on his arm. And now I note something else--he seems to be shivering slightly.   
  
It dawns on me all too late.   
  
"You're poisoned." I have stepped from behind the door. He looks up at me, his eyes unsurprised to find me standing there. He has come expecting to see someone, though perhaps I was not his first thought. He has only seen me twice before this, once in the forest and once here in the cathedral. It is not the third time I have seen him. It is, though, the third time I have ever seen his eyes. The twin pools of clear sapphire still amaze me in a way that it is doubtful will fade with time. They are darker today. Part of me wonders if it a trick of the light.   
  
( _"Sometimes at night when I can't sleep, I wonder what color your eyes are."_ )   
  
"Sheik...," he murmurs, and his voice betrays the hint of glad surprise that his eyes hid. "Yeah, I got bitten by... by one of those...." He tries to step away from the podium and stumbles again as one boot hits the stairs.   
  
I catch one arm, frowning behind my cowl. If it was something outside of the city that bit him, as the case seems to be, he has been poisoned now for far too long for me to be able to get it out of his system. He needs an antidote now, specific to the creature that bit him. I will need to know what it was. I allow him to lean back against the pedestal and pry his fingers from his arm to see the bite for myself. If I can identify the animal--   
  
"Link," I hear myself say softly, not entirely believing what I am seeing.   
  
The wound is obviously the bite of a smaller jawed creature, the punctures in a twin set of perfect u's set opposite of each other. The monster had bitten through the green fabric of his tunic and the silver material underneath before even getting to skin. But, unfortunately, it had, and the skin now around the bite is tinted a sickening grayish black. The bite marks resemble a normal humanoid jaw.   
  
He has not been bitten outside what was left of the castle town. He has not been even bitten just inside the dilapidated gates by some overly adventurous monster that had found is way inside. He has been bitten probably only minutes ago, right outside the temple. Again, I hear myself cursing my lack of insight in my mind.   
  
( _"One man cannot know everything, Sheikah," he said, his tone quiet, holding just a tint of amusement. His voice had changed since then...   
  
"It is my job to know everything."_ )   
  
"...and they're brown," he says, still trying to explain to me what had bitten him, gesticulating with his good hand and letting me examine the wound. He doesn't sense the sudden tension in my mood, or is ignoring it. "It sort of jumped on me... didn't see it until..."   
  
"Link," I say again, weighing the options of what I can do and what I wish I could. He quiets and looks at me. "It was a ReDead that bit you. Just outside the temple. Am I right?" I find myself silently praying to the goddesses that I am wrong. Even the most complicated antidote would be better than having to undo the curse of the ReDead.   
  
He shifts his head toward me slightly, and the light reveals a sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead. It seems the fever has already started. "I think so," he says lowly. "That's...bad, isn't it."   
  
"Yes." I am still weighing the options of this situation. The bite is recent, so if I can stop the blood flow to the rest of his body, or at least slow it, it would be to our advantage. Stopping the blood flow for an extended amount of time would cause damage to the limb, but this would be more advantageous than having our Hero of Time turning into a ReDead. Even if it is, as I have noted, his left arm--the one he wields his sword with.   
  
Without further hesitation, I find my fingers reaching up to remove my face-hiding scarf. For a Sheikah of my ranking to do so in the company of other Sheikahs would have me shamed and disciplined, but there are no others here, and the bandages covering my head and arms are not strong enough for what I'm about to do. I try to ignore the feeling of shame flooding me as I push back his sleeve, trying to ignore his eyes on my face. I tie the scarf around his arm above the wound as tightly as I dare.   
  
I knew of the animated corpses before traveling to the Temple of Time, and I had come prepared for the worst. Though in normal conditions, anyone could easily outrun the painfully slow ReDeads, I have been trained to be ready for all possibilities. Aside from that, ReDead screams have the power of paralysis and are at times masters of camouflage to make up for their slow gaits.   
  
So I know I have a vial of holy water with me. One vial will not be enough to completely undo the effects of the ReDead's venom, but it certainly will help slow them until I can get him somewhere with more. He watches me as I deftly tie the scarf in a careful knot as to not come untied. A quick hand and a hidden pocket reveal the vial and I promptly uncork it.   
  
"Hold still," I say. "This will probably hurt." I try to ignore his hiss of pain as I carefully pour the contents of the bottle onto the wound. I remember the warning given to me before I left one of the hidden Sheikah villages: _The more it hurts, the less time you have._ His sudden intake of breath is enough to convince me that time is not on my side. Checking the tightness of my makeshift tourniquet one more time, I look him in the eye. "Time is of the essence. Come with me."   
  
  
The source of the nearest holy water spring is hidden near Lake Hylia, a journey we have no time to make. Instead, I determine the best place to go would be Kakariko, to the village bordering the rumbling Death Mountain. The Shadow Temple hidden beyond the graveyard is being blamed for the influx of undead creatures, from those who wander the town at night all the way to Hyrule Castle Town. Thusly, the increasing ReDead bites have been centered on Kakariko, and the denizens have had a great amount of holy spring water imported. Upon his horse, the journey is quick, but he is still unconscious by the time I get him into the village, especially after having to take the extra time of leading the steed up the steps carved from the mountain.   
  
His entire upper arm from the tourniquet down is now a sickening shade of greenish gray, and streaks of the putrid color have begun to wind down his lower arm, one reaching as far as his palm. His fingers are swollen and purplish, effects of the tourniquet that I wish I could loosen.   
  
I stop in the market, fortunately fairly empty as the sun is slowly creeping beneath the horizon. The second dealer I question is sympathetic to my needs and gives me a jug of the water (for an inflated price, of course), then takes a look at the swooned hero upon the horse. Assuming the truth, the man asks as he takes my rupees, "How long since he been bit?"   
  
"A few hours. He was in the castle town," I reply tonelessly.   
  
The man lets out a low whistle under his breath. "He's not going to make it, you know. Try all you want, it's too late now. Better off putting him out of his misery. If'n you don't...," he warns, and it is immediately apparent to me that it is time to go.   
  
"I'll take my chances," I answer, turning to lead the horse away.   
  
"The hell you will," the gruff voice is now angry. "I had to put down my four year old daughter to a ReDead bite. That's why I'm here selling this. It's too late for him. I won't have him turning into one of those goddamn demons and biting someone else."   
  
Stopping, I turn again toward him, knowing time is getting dangerously low. "He won't. He's stronger than most," I assure him calmly. "If I cannot save him, at least allow me to bear the sin of his death by my blade as well."   
  
A moment passes, every one critical at this point, and I think he may argue the point further. I measure the timetable in my head and just as I am about to make a run for it, the man waves me away. "Get out of here. I hope you're right," he growls.   
  
( _"Why do I let you do this? To hope is to be disappointed."   
  
He smiled, and his eyes were hidden in the darkness. "Silly boy. Disappointment is sometimes the best way to grow."_ )   
  
I lead the horse away, and hope so as well.   
  
  
The innkeeper is not much more sympathetic than the dealer, but regardless, he helps me get the unconscious Hylian into a bed and offers a basin in which to soak his arm. Favoring him with a nod, I uncork the jug I had bought earlier and fill the basin as high as I dare to. The man supervises for a moment, gives me a threat of what will happen if the wounded should become ReDead and hurt any of his other customers, and then leaves us.   
  
I am hesitant to remove the tourniquet much before I can get the bite into the water, so first I expose the bite itself to the water, holding his arm still as he twinges convulsively away. It is only then that I untie the white material from his arm. Quickly stripping away his white sleeve and pushing back the shorter green one, I now plunge his entire arm into the basin. He twinges again, trying to pull away. I wish that I can believe it when I tell myself he doesn't feel the pain.   
  
Now I must wait for the water to take effect. I am almost positive that I have immersed the wound in time; his reaction to the substance was not violent enough for the venom to have taken full control of his body. I cannot be completely certain, of course, until he wakes up. I have a dagger concealed on my leg and it is easily within my reach.   
  
I have to hold his arm in the water or he will wind up pulling it out on his own. As I do so, holding him still and trying not to look at the unsightly discoloration, my train of thought wanders. If he was to awaken as a ReDead, I wasn't certain I'd be able to take his life. Certainly the life (if it could be called that) of a ReDead was nothing to be envied--mindless creatures thirsting for blood and mercilessly hunted down by their own prey.   
  
However....   
  
( _He was smiling when he said it, and I never knew why. He smiled often, though, and I am not disappointed. "You're wondering why I come to you."   
  
He could read my mind, too, apparently.   
  
"I come to you because you need someone. Not me...but I'll do for now."_ )   
  
The Order has commanded me to watch him, this 'Hero of Time' to see if her highness was correct about him. They do not like him, not since he opened the Door of Time and gave the Dark Lord access to the sacred Triforce. The princess demanded that he be aided, and so the Order sent me to do so--one warrior, in a culture that believes that the individual is nothing. It was certainly not a compliment to him or to the princess.   
  
As for me, I just do what I am told to. For six of the seven years of his slumber, I have been a part of the group of Sheikahs allowed to enter the Sacred Realm and take care of him. While the goddesses kept his muscles from atrophy and his body from malnutrition, his body grew taller and his hair grew longer, so the five of us were in charge of trimming his hair and making sure his clothes fit. This was my duty then, this is my duty now. I am simply a follower, a member of a collective. Our thoughts on the matter are not important, we are here to follow our orders and not to question them. But our thoughts and opinions color our performance, so the Order understands this and is lenient on the operation of commands they give, so long as the job is performed.   
  
I look down at him; he is trying to toss away from the water, a sheen of feverish sweat drenching his face and hair and discontent on his face. As he is now, he doesn't look much like a hero. Unlike that day not so very long ago, when he emerged from the Sacred Realm and the Chamber of Sages for the first time in seven years.   
  
The day I first saw his eyes.   
  
( _"Why are your eyes always hidden from me?"   
  
Of course, a smile. He didn't turn because I knew he couldn't. "Because you don't know what color they are."_ )   
  
But I must do as I am told. I will kill him if it proves necessary. I will be the one to take his life if he turns out to be a danger to the princess. I will obey the Order, even if my thoughts and opinions taint the matter. I will kill him if it comes to that.   
  
But I'll be damned if I don't do everything else I can first.  
  
-----  
  
_End of Chapter 1 : Overture._  
  
-----  
  
Oh lordy, that was so short. XD And kind of.. I don't know. Ah well.  
  
I haven't been writing anything worth crap lately.. this first chapter had about three paragraphs sitting there for a few months before I was able to come back and do anything with it.  
  
A few story related notes--yes, I probably will put song lyrics at the beginning of each chapter. Yes, the chapters are all music-related titles. Why? While all of Legend of Zelda has a lot of music based things, from the ones I've played (all except for Windwaker), Ocarina of Time has the most music base of any of them. Majora's Mask does too, but that has more to do with masks. :P  
  
Another thing: the title. Thanatos is the Greek god of death. Not to be confused with Hades--Hades was the god of the Underworld. He didn't do the killing, he just watched over the dead. Thanatos was actually the death guy. Born of the night (Nyx), brother to sleep (Hypnos). What? I did my homework. :}  
  
So why'd I choose the god of death to name my story after? First of all, I think "Thanatos" is a kickass word. X3 Secondly, this promises to be a pretty dark fic. Link saw some horrible things in his journeys, but I imagine Sheik went through more. Remember, he WAS awake for those seven years.  
  
On another note, my Sheikahs are NOT borgs, they just act like them. I am making a point of the collective mindset in these early chapters so that I can emphasize how much Sheik changes in this story. Cause, you know, that's the point.  
  
For your information, the ReDead that bit Link was named Bob. As for the Holy Water thing, I shamelessly stole that from Final Fantasy games. Cause ReDeads are like zombies. YUNALESCA OMG NOOOO.  
  
Please review or drop me an email, I will be more than happy to respond to comments or questions--that's what this lame little section at the end is here for. :} 


	2. Allegro

Author: Rydia Highwind  
Email: chichiri_is_hot@hotmail.com  
Fandom: Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time (in-game)  
Rating: probably eventually R. PG, for this chapter.  
Summary: Sheik's thoughts and feelings throughout the game.  
Warning: Eventual shounen ai (in other words, two boys getting it on), Link/Sheik. Semi-AU, as in Sheik and Zelda are not the same person. This will be explained in later chapters. Sheik is nutso, despite my best efforts to make him otherwise. I can't write normal characters, apparently. First person, present tense.  
Disclaimer: The characters (excepting occasional shop owners and the like) and the setting aren't mine, though I wish they were cause I'd be rich then.  
  
-----  
  
Thanatos  
by Rydia Highwind  
  
Chapter 2 : Allegro  
  
-----  
  
I seen the sign up ahead  
At the county line bridge  
Saying all there's good and nothingness is dead  
Run until she's out of breath  
She ran until there's nothing left  
She hit the end, it's just her window ledge  
  
- The Wallflowers "One Headlight"  
  
-----  
  
He doesn't wake up until the first strains of sunrise are leaking through the east facing window and I am pulled from my light doze by an intelligible murmur. He has long since given up fighting my grip holding his arm in the water, and by now, I have gotten a chair to rest in, keeping my eye on him and only allowing myself to nod off for short periods of time.   
  
Inquisitive to this new development, I quietly round the bed to his side and place a hand on his forehead. The fever has diminished greatly but is not completely gone. At my touch, he moves slightly and by the time I remove my hand, two slivers of sapphire blue have found me.   
  
"Good morning," I say, and the purple hues of daybreak favor his face, playing with the natural colors still there, though paled. The sunrise makes him look healthy again. For a moment after I pull my hand away, I can almost pretend he is not ill.   
  
He blinks at me, the light from the sun obscuring his view. I can tell that he cannot even see who I am, and I move slightly so that my shadow crosses his face. It still takes him a moment, for there is only one lamp lit in the room and the light from the window is likely making my face seem much darker than it is. But he sees me soon enough.   
  
"S-Sheik? I...where..?"   
  
He is confused--that much is obvious. But his recognition of me is enough to assure me that the poison in his bloodstream is not going to turn him undead any longer. Enough of it has been counteracted that he is no longer in danger. The hand I had left hovering near my knife relaxes.   
  
He tries tentatively to sit up, but I gently press him back down. "Calm down, you're safe here." I am kneeling by his bed so that he can see me more easily. "We are in an inn in Kakariko, and you are recovering from a ReDead bite."   
  
He looks away from me now, his eyes catching a bit of the daybreak glow and seeming to shine for a moment as he tries to remember what has happened. His eyes lose focus for a moment. "ReDead bite...? Wait, Kakariko?" He looks back at me, frowning and realizing just how far away that is from wherever he expected to be.   
  
"Yes." I offer him a nod. "And keep your arm in that basin. You are no longer in any immediate danger, but the ReDead venom can still affect you adversely." I pause as he glances carefully at his arm, and obediently dips it further into the water. "Do you remember meeting me in the Temple of Time?"   
  
He nods fractionally. "And you brought me all the way here?" He is not looking at me, but rather at the far wall.   
  
"There was no other way to ensure your safety." I can tell, though, from his near-silent sigh that this is not the response he is hoping to hear. I decide though not to inquire. If he wishes to confide in me, he will do so on his own.   
  
I find that he does indeed do so. He doesn't look at me still. I begin to wonder if I have broken some sort of taboo that I did not know about. But it could also be dismissed as an aftereffect of the ReDead venom, I remind myself. "And...why did you want to ensure my safety?" he asks so softly I can barely hear him. "Is it because I'm the Hero of Time?"   
  
There is something in his voice, in his actions, I can see through it. It is not a test of the sort I am used to, a test to prove my intentions, but it is a test. Whether or not he means it to be is another story entirely. I find, however, that I cannot tell exactly what he wants from me at this point. I allow my head to shift slightly to the left, focusing on his face. "I suppose that was certainly part of it," I say slowly. "What is it you want me to say?"   
  
He turned toward me, almost a little too quickly, and I half expect him to knock himself back out with the suddenness of his motion, but he seems fine. "What?" he asked, the confusion evident in his eyes still alit with the morning light. "What do you mean?" He blinks a few times, and frowns. "I'm not testing you, Sheik, I just want to know why."   
  
"And," I remind him gently, "there is a certain answer you wish to hear. Maybe you are not trying to test me but that is in fact what you are doing."   
  
Silence reigns for a moment and he blinks at me, still a bit confused it seems. But after a moment, he seems to drop the matter, glancing up at the ceiling and then back at me a moment later. His eyes are solemn, eyes I know should be sparkling with happiness. The Goddesses knew he deserved to be happy, after being told he was the one of destiny, the only one who could save Hyrule, and then having seven years of his life stolen from him....   
  
"You feel sorry for me?" he muses, breaking the eye contact we had been holding and shattering my thoughts. "Is that why you helped me?"   
  
I cannot help but feel a little guilty, because that is just what I had been doing, sitting there feeling sorry for him. No, that isn't what he needs right now. I am not exactly certain what he needs, but pity is most definitely not it. "No," I say, "that isn't why I helped you. Perhaps I do pity what you have been through, but pity changes nothing."   
  
I stand up from where I am seated next to the bed. "You must be hungry," I say, not wishing to continue the conversation. "I will find something for you to eat."   
  
Before I can leave his side, though, he manages to catch my attention. "Wait," he says, and I obey, turning to face him from the foot of the bed. "Before you go. Tell me. You said...that my being the Hero of Time was only part of why you brought me here. Why? I need to know, Sheik." An innocent and earnest look is glowing in his eyes.   
  
I pause, not exactly sure how to answer him. I feel as though he is looking for a friend, a shoulder to lean on in these trying times. I did not know him before the Dark Lord tricked him and took the Triforce for his own, but I know he must have had many friends. A ten year old boy cannot enter the Sacred Realm by his own power. He had friends. He had help.   
  
When he awakened, he had stepped into a completely different world. A world where seven years had passed and familiar faces became strangers and no one remembered the little Kokiri boy who had visited them seven years ago. He is lonely. He is asking if I will be a friend to him and ease his loneliness. And I do not know what to tell him.   
  
"I was sent here by the Sheikah Order," I tell him quietly, knowing very well this is not what he wants to hear. "I was sent to watch you, to aid you on your quest. I was meeting you there to guide you. I brought you here to help you."   
  
I expect to find disappointment on his face, but he surprises me. "But you stayed here all night, didn't you? To...make sure I was okay?" he says slowly, a thoughtful expression on his face. "You could have left me under the care of the innkeeper, or just let me sleep."   
  
For a moment I am silent, leaning against the doorjamb and turning over his words in my mind. While he does have a valid point, I begin to list off in my mind the flaws with his theory. First of all, I had been needed to keep his arm in the water, and secondly, the innkeeper hadn't even wanted Link there in the first place. But he is right, what I have done for him could easily have been done by someone else. The thought will not leave me, and I'm not really sure how to reply.   
  
"Do not make things more than they are," I say quietly after a long pause. "I know you must feel lonely right now, but I am here simply because it is my duty. I have an obligation to you through my duty to my people. To place you under the eye of someone else would be careless. It is my responsibility to not be careless."   
  
I pause for a moment, wondering if I have been too harsh with him. But no, I tell myself, whether or not he is emotionally ready, the Three did not bring him back as a man by mistake. He is a man now, and he must deal with these matters on his own.   
  
"I will get you something to eat," I say, and I do not look back at his face as I leave.   
  
--   
  
The market is crowded as it always is at this time of day. It is the morning bustle, filled with people setting up shop and others trying to find the best wares before someone else got them. Most of the shops are set up by the time I make it outside, the sun already well in the sky, though the light filtering down has a decidedly red tinge to it. The mountain up above is rumbling ominously, its keepers having been captured and slowly devoured by a giant dragon. The Dark Lord has enslaved the entire race of the gentle Gorons, making them an example by a slow genocide.   
  
He is performing a much faster genocide with the Sheikahs. The tribe members are captured on sight by his minions, or killed if capture is out of the question. All too many of my peers have gone on missions and not come back, and it is not safe for me to be walking around in a busy city with the eye of the Sheikah clearly printed on my stole. Kakariko, however, has not thusly been dealt with much, and I have no street clothes with me anyway.   
  
My first priority, before finding breakfast for the stricken hero, is to acquire a new cowl, as mine was likely contaminated by the ReDead's poison. It isn't hard to find a suitable replacement, I find quickly, weaving in and out of the crowd. The first linen dealer I find actually sells for a reasonable price and soon, I am safely hidden behind the required garments of the Sheikah tribe.   
  
Even as I am adjusting my new scarf, I hear the gruff voice of the vender that had sold me the holy water the day previous. I suppose I only note that he is talking because he is talking about me. "A Sheikah?" he is saying, and I pause, listening but not yet looking. "Yeah, sold him some yesterday. You friends of his? I think I saw him over there... yeah, right over there."   
  
At this I turn my eyes toward the vendor, now pointing directly at me. It seems I am rather hard to miss in a crowd, and it is my undoing in this case. The people he is addressing are a group of Gerudos, the Dark One's minions.   
  
I do not know how they found me here, or how they knew to ask for a Sheikah who had purchased holy water, but now is not the time for questions. Instead, I duck down so that I am no longer visible in the crowd, quickly going over the map of what I know about the town. They will expect me to move away from them, so instead I move due east, knowing the city spreads further east of my current location. Already I hear a shrill female voice yelling something angry in a foreign tongue, and the crowd around me begins to panic.   
  
This is to my favor to start with. The confusion will slow my pursuers until the crowd finally calms or dissipates. I find it easy enough to move through the crowd, as it isn't hard to anticipate the crowd movement, and I am not headed in one specific direction anyway.   
  
Ducking behind and dodging people, I quickly make my way to a back alley behind a row of shops nearby of which the crowd has all but deserted. There comes a sharp whistle from behind me that I take to mean I have been seen. I unsheathe one of my knives, taking a quick glance behind me before taking off in a full fledged sprint down the alley. There are four of them in the passage with me, and there is no way I can take them all at once.   
  
Gerudos prefer close combat, with weapons such as lances and swords, but I know enough from seven years of the Dark Lord's reign that his minions can be counted on to pull something unexpected. It is treacherous for me to remain out in the open as I am. One well aimed throwing knife or arrow and I will be down not long after.   
  
However, Sheikahs are quite well-versed in the art of long range weapons.   
  
I make a gamble, turning the corner after the next building and slowing my gait briefly to determine my next move. I see what I had been hoping for, and allow myself a grim smile, grasping the cold hilt of the dagger in my hand. There is still a very good chance my risk will not pay off, but I give myself approximately three seconds to position myself before the first of my pursuers rounds the corner.   
  
Three seconds will not be enough time to climb to the roof of the building to my right by way of the stack of crates piled next to the wall. But three seconds is plenty of time to get behind the crates, and this is exactly the course of action I follow.   
  
When the first Gerudo rounds the corner, she is quickly greeted by my dagger, which imbeds itself quite neatly in the center of her forehead. I do not pause to watch her fall, though my peripheral vision tells me she makes quite dramatic work of her death, the momentum of the knife slamming her head back, and the forward motion of her body causing her legs to keep moving forward. She lands flat on her back, stunning her three companions, and giving me more than sufficient time to reach the roof.   
  
Being on the rooftops, of course, presents another problem--which is namely staying on top of them. Kakariko is filled with towering peaks and angled eaves, allowing the frequent rainfall that the village is met with to run to the gutters on the edges and drain properly. However, I know this will present the same problem to my pursuers. Perhaps not the best point to take comfort in, but the situation presents me with little else.   
  
The Gerudos are fast, but not careful, for the next goes down with a blade in her throat. I am to the next rooftop before they can clear her body away and follow me up. Another whistle sounds from behind me, another direction. I have made a critical mistake, it would seem. The Gerudos have been watching the rooftops for me as well.   
  
And so I do the only thing I can do at this point. I run.   
  
Leaving the rooftops will gain me no advantage I can find, my pursuers are close enough behind me that I would not have enough time to weave back into the crowd milling about below before they had me. They have caught me at my own game, it would seem.   
  
An arrow whizzes by me, coming from my left and flying by only a few inches in front of me. Had I been going minutely faster, it would have been lodged in my left ear. So they are coming from the north as well. I do not shift directions, for a moving target is harder to hit when moving horizontally across the archer's line of vision. This doesn't seem to matter too much, though, for the next arrow does not miss, but instead is buried in my shoulder. Someone yells something triumphantly, but I am not down yet.   
  
I ignore the burning pain coursing through my arm, thankful that the houses here are close enough to jump from one to another without much effort. The tilted shingled roofs make the running difficult, but doable. I hear a shriek from behind me as one of the girls slips, falling from the rooftops and effectively taking her out of the chase.   
  
There is not time to remove the arrow, my concentration must remain on getting to the next rooftop. I can sense them closing on the northern side and I know they are trying to corral me a certain direction, to a certain point. I am not very familiar with the town much further than my current location (of which I'm not entirely sure of at this point anyway) and I know this is not to my advantage. It is all too likely that they are leading me to a dead end.   
  
I keep heading forward, trying not to let them force me any certain way, but with the arrows flying ever more thickly, it is suicidal to deviate too close to the group to the north. So I turn south slightly, and I am forced to notice the rooftops are getting much harder to leap. I am not certain if this is the effect of blood loss, though that seems unlikely with the arrowhead still in my arm, or if it is because the houses are further apart.   
  
It turns out not to matter much anyway, as one of the Gerudos behind me manages to hit me with either an arrow or a knife--I cannot tell at this point--in the shoulder blade just before I would have jumped, knocking me down into the streets below instead.   
  
I am unhurt from the fall, having rolled to end it, keeping me from any harm save the deepening of my wounds. It takes some serious effort, but I am quickly on my feet again, clawing at the object lodged in my shoulder blade as I again begin to run. Fortunately, it seems to be an arrow rather than a knife, which would have done more damage and given me more blood loss to worry about. Even though my chances are slim, I will not give up. If the Gerudos know that I am here, they likely know that Link is here as well, and I will not let them find him.   
  
My legs ache with overexertion and my back and shoulder is sending throbbing rivulets of pain up and down my upper body. My hair is plastered to my forehead with perspiration and my new cowl tastes of salt and sweat. I know I cannot keep this pace much longer. But I have to keep them busy so that they will not find him. I have to keep going.   
  
There is a rushing sound from in front of me, and I cannot tell if I am hearing things or if there really is something ahead of me making such a noise. It is faint at first, but as I keep running it grows louder and louder. The Gerudos will not let me turn off, too many of them flank each side of me. A glance over my shoulder proves what I'd feared--they hadn't forgotten to close behind me as well.   
  
It isn't long at all before I realize exactly what that rushing noise I had noted earlier was, and I know then that the chase is nearly over.   
  
There is a river curving around the southern edge of the town, the rapid flow of water cascading down the mountain each spring having carved a deep ravine that marked the southern border of Kakariko. I had barely even noticed that the Gerudos had changed my course from east to south in the course of the chase. I am now headed straight for the river, surging more powerfully than normal due to the volcanic activity atop Death Mountain, and there is no way I can avoid it.   
  
It is only a few moments before I am forced to stop, gasping for breath, and Gerudos on all sides of me. Of course, this is perfect for them. Sheikahs boast hefty bounties alive. They have only not killed me because they fully intend on bringing me to the Dark Lord alive. I shiver with the thought, turning around to face them, my back to the river so close I can feel the spray of the raging waters on my legs.   
  
"Mo nah hemak!" One of the Gerudos is speaking, she seems to be the leader of sorts. She motions to me and two of the Gerudos on either side of her respond with a "kkh" sound that has to be an affirmative because then they move toward me.   
  
It is now that I must act, doing whatever it is that I can to get away from these bounty hunters. I would much rather be dead than prisoner of the Dark One. And so there is only one option I have. I slow my breathing and heart rate as much as I can before the Gerudos can get to me.   
  
And then I step backwards, into the ravine.   
  
-----   
  
_End of Chapter 2 : Allegro._   
  
-----   
  
WEEEE. Wow, that took me a long time to write. Do you have ANY idea how much Sheik didn't want to write this chapter? He didn't like it, you see (as you can probably tell) and so he made it even harder than normal to write a chase scene in first person, present tense. If you don't believe me that that's hard, go try it yourself.   
  
Mine still ended up crappy. Oh well. That whole chapter is utter crap. x___X;   
  
My Gerudos speak bastard Arabic, taught to me by Katie. ::hugs for Katie:: And Mara proofed this for me, so hugs for Mara too. ^_^ Also, if you find any grammatical errors, feel free to yell at Mara. XD Kidding. :P Mara is awesome because she writes my Sheikah language which hasn't appeared in the fic and may never BUT IF I EVER NEED IT I HAVE MARA!   
  
Oh, um, Sheik isn't dead cause that would sort of ruin the story. XD He pushed up on the control stick when he fell off the roof, that's why he didn't get hurt. :P   
  
I'm sorry my chapters are so short. ;_; I'll try to update sooner this time. Ack. x.x;   
  
Here's a random point of interest: If you ever get picked on by a Dark Link, give him a quarter and he'll be amused by hours at the shininess of it. Seriously. ^_^   
  
Well, feel free to email me at chichiri_is_hot@hotmail.com with comments or questions on the fic. ^_^ 


	3. Staccato

Author: Rydia Highwind  
Email: chichiri_is_hot@hotmail.com  
Fandom: Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time (in-game)  
Rating: probably eventually R. PG, for this chapter.  
Summary: Sheik's thoughts and feelings throughout the game.  
Warning: Eventual shounen ai (in other words, two boys getting it on), Link/Sheik. Semi-AU, as in Sheik and Zelda are not the same person. This will be explained in later chapters.  
Disclaimer: The characters (excepting occasional shop owners and the like) and the setting aren't mine, though I wish they were cause I'd be rich then.  
  
-----  
  
**Thanatos**  
by Rydia Highwind  
  
Chapter 3 - Staccato  
  
-----  
  
I'd sail ships for you   
To be close to you   
To be a part of you   
'Cause I believe in you   
I believe in you   
I would die for you  
  
- Garbage "#1 Crush"  
  
-----  
  
One hand clawing for purchase on the bank, I pull myself up, gasping for breath, and then collapse there for a long moment, thanking the Triforce that the river slowed to this gentle current so soon after I had stepped into it. I am truly lucky to have survived this far.   
  
The rocky ravine had given me many small cuts and bruises as well as an unsightly gash on my right leg, but aside from that, and of course the two broken arrows in my left shoulder, I seem to be all right. No broken bones, no concussion--the Goddesses must be watching me. Or not, as I would not have had to be in the river in the first place if I had not been chased all over Kakariko by a band of Gerudo bounty hunters. Selective luck, I suppose.   
  
My luck or whatever it is seems to hold out a little longer as I have climbed out of the river in a place completely deserted. The last thing I need, besides a Gerudo to find me here, is a worried Hylian trying too hard to help. The area seems to be a laundering sight, as there are many garments hanging up to catch the gentle breeze, and some soap and other laundering tools. This also is my advantage, as I had not determined how to return to the inn without being seen. I will have to 'borrow' a cloak on a long-term basis but I will not be seen.   
  
I remain lying on my chest, still halfway in the water and with my forehead pressed against my arm for a long moment, trying to steady my breathing and my heart rate. It will not take the Gerudos long to start searching the river for my body--dead Sheikahs are worth money too after all.   
  
When I finally stand up, pulling myself completely out of the water, I begin to wonder if maybe I did hit my head in my trip downstream, because as soon as I stand, a feeling of lightheadedness follows me. It is possible, after all, that in the river I may have hit my head without realizing it.   
  
It is also possible, however, that my leg is bleeding worse than I thought, and my lightheadedness is due to blood loss. It is rather difficult to stand and I know I should wrap up the leg wound, but there is not time to spare. The Gerudos came here searching for someone and I am willing to bet that that person is Link. Link, who is ill and in bed, completely unaware of the danger he is in staying here.   
  
I find a dark cloak hanging, conveniently dry, dark enough to hide any bloodstains it may acquire from my still bleeding back and shoulder, and slip it over my shoulders, wincing as it grazes the arrowheads still lodged there. There is also a hood on this cloak, which I pull over my head as I limp from the alley. My scarf has been pulled down in the water and I leave it as such to make myself less conspicuous, for a limping figure in a concealing black cloak is conspicuous enough as is.   
  
As it turns out, I am a fair distance from the inn I brought Link to the night previous and it takes me a while to get there. However, since I brought him to the first inn I could find and the river washed me back toward the entrance of the city, I am not as far away as when I stepped into the ravine in the first place. I get a number of odd looks from strangers milling about in the streets but I fortunately am recognized by none and see no Gerudos.   
  
By the time I reach the inn, the lightheadedness I felt earlier has progressed into out and out dizziness, and I consider the possibility of wrapping up my still bleeding leg wound before we set out from Kakariko. It probably requires stitches, but there is not time for that. I must get Link ready to go and get him far from here, this is my top priority.   
  
After making sure no one is really paying much attention to me, I enter the inn and climb the stairs in a slow, staggering pace. I do not know how much further I will be able to go. If I thought Link would be all right on his own, I would send him off without me, but the ReDead venom may be affecting him still and I cannot take that risk. It is my duty to ensure his safety, and that is what I intend to do.   
  
It takes me a long, tense moment to even remember which room I have left Link in, but soon enough I remember and knock on the door, my key to it probably at the bottom of the river. There is some hesitation as I hear shuffling from inside of the room. Link's voice, when it comes, is muffled by the thick wood of the door and sounds tired besides. "Who is it?"   
  
"It is I," I say as loudly as I dare. "Sheik. I lost my key."   
  
The door opens a few inches, and I see Link peering out suspiciously. Blue eyes widen when he sees the state I am in, and he pulls the door open all the way so that I can stumble in. I do just that, pausing to sit on the edge of the bed and drop my cloak, trying to see past the dizziness swimming in my vision. Link shuts and locks the door before turning to me. "Sheik? What happened?"   
  
"No time to explain," I say as I reach over and try unsuccessfully to remove the arrowhead lodged in my left shoulder. Giving up, I glance up at him. "We need to leave Kakariko, and now."   
  
"But you're injured," he says, attempting to inspect my shoulder and back. "You can't go anywhere like that, you've got to get those arrows out or they'll get infected...you don't look so hot anyway, Sheik. You need to rest and--"   
  
"There is not time," I hiss, batting him away from my shoulder. "The stakes will be both of our lives if we do not leave immediately. It is you they are after, I am afraid, and I cannot even be certain I did not lead them here." I force myself to stand again, ignoring the shot of numbing pain that lances up my leg. "We will head towards--"   
  
I am forced to stop, for the mild dizziness seems to have grown into complete vertigo, and I would have certainly hit the floor had Link not been standing a few feet away. He manages to catch me with his good arm (his left is still weak from the poison) and I find my face muffled in the green fabric clothing his shoulder. I can see in my mind his frown of disapproval even before I push myself away from him slightly with a murmured apology.   
  
"At least let me wrap up your wounds before we go," he finally says. "And while I do, you can tell me why the hell you're all wet."   
  
But I shake my head resolutely, noting that he has not let go of my arm. That fact shouldn't bother me but it does anyway, though as much as I would like to move away, I know I cannot stand very well on my own at the moment. Being forced to accept help makes me uneasy as I will have to depend on someone.   
  
"I will tell you what happened on the way out of here," I say, then sitting back down on the bed, attempting to press back the dizziness plaguing my vision. I am again supporting myself wholly, though. "I will wrap up my leg while you use the tourniquet to apply more of the holy water to your bite and pack up whatever you need from here. Then we will leave. The arrows will remain until we can get elsewhere, for the wounds will not bleed as much this way."   
  
He nods and sets to work while I am finding it increasingly difficult to focus on the simple task of binding my leg. At this rate, I will only be a hindrance to his escape. Realizing this, I bite my bottom lip gently, wondering if there is any way I will be able to get him to go without me.   
  
He finishes long before I do, for he is fairing much better than I, and I nod to him. "Your horse is tied up in the stable outside," I tell him. "Your next obstacle lies up the mountain, but you must leave this place first. It is too dangerous to travel through the city at this point."   
  
But he simply gives me a wry look, seeing my hands fumbling with the bandages, and he kneels in front of me to take over. "I'm not going without you, so don't even try," he says with a knowing smile directed up at me, and then wrapping my leg for me. Again, I am forced to put my safety into the hands of another. I have not known him long enough to even begin to trust him. I am loath to trust anyone but myself and the Order regardless.   
  
And yet, the uncertainty I feel so strongly starts to ebb quickly after I acknowledge it. Ever present, yes, but not nearly as strong as it should be. Why do I feel like I can trust him? Why do I feel that I have nothing to fear from this young man in front of me?   
  
Before I know it, he is finished and standing, offering a hand to help me stand. I realize though, now, that it will take much more than one hand for me to make it to my feet. I carefully adjust the cloak back over my shoulders before reaching up and taking his hand. He quite literally pulls me up, another wave of vertigo threatening to push me over as he does, but he swings my right arm over his shoulder and puts his arm around my waist, and this is the way we make it down the stairs and to the stable, each step getting minutely harder to perform until Link is quite literally dragging me down the road. The odd stares we must be getting do not even register with me.   
  
I do not remember closing my eyes, yet I can feel that they are closed, and I do not remember being lifted on to the horse, but here I am on the saddle, someone behind me supporting me and two arms reaching around me to handle the reigns. I force my eyes open, blinking past the beginnings of a serious headache and shivering at the wind generated by the horse's movements.   
  
It seems we are still in Kakariko, so my brief black out can only have lasted a few minutes. The horse speeds up suddenly, as the rider behind me, whom I assume must be Link, kicks her forward a bit. And then, one of the strong arms is around me, keeping me in place as the ground ceases to be under the horse's hooves. A whoop of pleasure in a voice that can only be Link's is yelled behind me, ending only as the horse lands at the bottom of the stairs that lead up the mountain to the village.   
  
And then we are off, the horse galloping away from the village, and I let a sigh of relief form on my lips. That reprieve is short-lived though, for I begin to realize how warm I am feeling now, despite the wind on my face, and I know this is not a good sign.   
  
It is sometime later when I find I have somehow gotten down from the horse and am cradled in Link's grip. He has one hand on my forehead and he is frowning in what can only be worry. I know he must have taken me off the horse from how I am resting, and I remember how tightly he had held me on the horse before, so I cannot have fallen. Besides that, I feel no pain from landing on the ground--only from the injuries I sustained earlier.   
  
He sees my eyes and regards me critically. "You're feverish," he says plainly. "I told you we should've wrapped up your wounds before. We've got a few hours before we reach Lon Lon Ranch, and I can't do anything about infections out here." There is a certain amount of fear and worry in his tone, and it is because I am ill. Why this suddenly bothers me, I am uncertain, but it does.   
  
A thought occurs to me and I sit up carefully, with his support. "I do not think it is infection," I tell him honestly, trying to see past the headache that has stained my vision red. One hand goes to my shoulder to try and remove the arrowhead lodged there. Despite a high pain tolerance, I am forced to give up without getting it out, due to the strange angle I am working from and a generalized sense of weakness. "Help me get this out."   
  
Link turns to my shoulder, frowning. "I can get it out, but it's going to be painful," he tells me after regarding it for a long moment. But I simply nod to him to give him the go ahead, and he sets to work. I have dealt with much more pain than this, and if my suspicions are correct, it may have been a critical mistake to leave the arrows in place.   
  
He works quickly but carefully, and despite the wave of pain that nearly knocks me back unconscious in my already weakened state, the first arrowhead is removed without much trouble. The second one is worse, however, imbedded deeper and in a more sensitive area. This one causes the need to lean against my companion for a long moment to regain my bearings.   
  
"Well, you're right there," Link says, mopping up the now bleeding wounds with some leftover bandages he has taken from the hotel room. "Neither of these is infected. And I cleaned up your leg as best I could...but may it's infected?"   
  
"No," I reply, finally stabilizing enough to take the arrowheads from Link and inspect them. "There has not been time for these to infect yet." I carefully wipe the blood away from the tips of the arrows and hold them up to the light.   
  
I can feel Link's confusion as I tell him this, and then as I raise the arrowheads up to the sunlight. "Is it just me or are those purple?" he asks, confirming my fears.   
  
"Yes, they are." I lower the arrowheads and run through a list in my mind. "These arrows were dipped in a substance called _qahwa_ before being fired. It is a fairly common and rather deadly type of Gerudo poison," I explain in a monotone. I am fairly disgusted with myself for not seeing this before. Had I gotten the arrowheads out sooner, I could have prevented all of this...   
  
Link's startled voice cuts into my thoughts. It is quiet, laced with an undercurrent of dread and disbelief, and I find myself the cause of this again. "Sheik...what do I do? Do you need some sort of antidote? Tell me... tell me what you need, I'll get it. I can--"   
  
"Calm down, Link," I cut him off gently. "This is a common sort of poison with which the Sheikahs are very familiar with. I have spent a few years building an immunity to _qahwa_, and the only reason it is still making me ill is because the arrows have been there with the poison on them. In a few hours, I will most likely be fine."   
  
"Oh." He looks embarrassed, and I wonder how he has managed to make me feel guilty three times in such a small amount of time.   
  
I feel that I should somehow rectify the situation, at least a little, for I did not make it clear right away that the poison would not be fatal for me. I suppose I sort of expected him to know, for the Gerudos probably knew and they were likely trying to use it as a sort of tranquilizer for me. Which, I realize now, worked all too well. "I do, however, appreciate your concern and willingness to help," I say softly. "I...apologize for making you worry. I should have been more clear about the nature of the poison."   
  
I can feel the tension ease even as I say this, and he relaxes enough so that I can see him smile. "That's all right," he says as he begins to quickly bind my still bleeding shoulder. "I'm just going to wrap this quickly and fix it up once we get to the ranch." I simply nod to him, feeling the sway of sleep taking over again. He hoists me up by my right arm, like he had in the inn, and then lifts me up on to his horse's back. While I lean against the back of her neck, he jumps up behind me and again secures me with his arms before kicking the horse into a canter.   
  
I lean back against him, knowing I have no choice but to trust him further with my life. He has saved me already and I am beginning to realize how much he is willing to do for me. It seems if I had told him I needed a jewel from the Dark Lord's crown to rescue me, he would have attempted to retrieve one just to save my life. I am not certain I understand this dedication; while certainly I have saved his life once or twice and have given him instruction on where to turn next, I do so because it is my duty, not because I want him to feel as though he owes me.   
  
This devotion almost resembles the selfless devotion of a Sheikah to the Royal Family of Hyrule, only with a degree of childish innocence. Perhaps he does not even know why he feels the way he does. He wears his emotion on his face, easily noticed and readable, and I have often noted a degree of curiosity and confusion in his eyes as he regards me. Or perhaps I simply do not give him enough credit. It is possible he knows exactly what he is doing and why, and I just cannot see it.   
  
"Sheik," he murmurs, even as I am beginning to fall back into sleep, "…I'm glad you're safe."   
  
--   
  
Many Hylians believe mistakenly that the Sheikah tribe in Hyrule is simply a band of Hylians working behind the scenes to protect the Royal Family. This is false--the Sheikahs actually are their own race, but the amount of them in Hyrule is limited and those there often remain hidden with a few high ranking exceptions, such as Lady Impa, the nursemaid to Princess Zelda herself.   
  
The Sheikah people have divided themselves into two separate main tribes and a third lesser tribe. The Eastern Tribe, often referred to as the Mountain People, and the Western Tribe, or the Desert People, were rather unfriendly competitors before the war, each trying to gain approval with the Royal Family by the quality of the fighters they sent to the castle. However, they were forced to band together when the King of Evil came to power. The King and Queen removed from power and killed, now the only one left to protect was the Princess and the one the Dark Lord wanted the most.   
  
The Northern Tribe is often referred to as the Dark People, for it consists of those who do not believe the Sheikahs have the obligation to protect the Royal Family. Rogue Sheikahs, those banished for disobeying the Order, and those who dishonor their tribe in any way are sent away from their tribes and often end up in the North where the darkest of the Shadow People reside. This tribe started out rather small and unthreatening to the other tribes, but after a deception by a member of the Royal Family nearly one hundred years prior to the Great War, the tribe has grown significantly and it has become unsafe for a Sheikah of either main tribe to venture to the North alone.   
  
While the Mountain People continued to thrive amid Death Mountain in the years directly after Ganondorf took power, the Western Tribe was not so lucky. They shared their land with the Gerudo people, the minions of the Dark Lord, he being their king. When he put a price on the collective head of the Shadow People, his followers had only to look just outside their borders to find bounty. The villages of the Desert People were burned and pillaged mercilessly and the denizens massacred by the hundreds, and the survivors were forced to hide their refuges away, retreating back, finding safety only in number.   
  
Eventually, of course, the promise of bounty spread to other races as well, and the Sheikahs were hunted in all parts of the world--except, of course, the North. The Dark People thrived greatly during this period, for the King of Evil accepted their services as assassins. They remained independent but willing to freelance for him.   
  
Now, the only Western Tribe villages that remain are carefully hidden with magic and the entryways guarded tightly. A Desert Sheikah is a very rare sight, as barely a hundred of them remain alive, and most of them in service for the Order and assigned to different areas of Hyrule. The Eastern Tribe fares better but not by much any longer. The Dark Lord has made the Shadow People a quickly dying race.   
  
The Sheikah Order came to power shortly after the Sheikahs came into the service of the King and Queen of Hyrule, more than four hundred years before the Great War. It was they who split the race into the two main tribes, in order to guard the main entrances to the castle--the eastern entrance and the western entrance. The castle has been remodeled many times since then and the only true entrance now is to the south, but the ceremonial tribes remained, each claiming a piece of land in their respective direction.   
  
They grew apart from each other, evolving in their own ways specific to their own environments and adapting to the changes in their habitats. The Mountain People are generally shorter, somewhat stockier, with long ears and strong legs. The Desert People, on the other had, are tall and lithe, with rounded ears, tan skin, and nimble legs. Both tribes still exceed at that which makes the Shadow People unique: this is a combination of excellent senses, incredible stealth, and a weak telepathic on top of a slightly stronger empathetic link between them--and of course, their blood red eyes.   
  
The Order that commands all the loyal Sheikahs is made up of members of either tribe. They instated presets for all their people to enhance their natural fighting ability (even though in normal times, not all people become fighters). The Shadow People are naturally reserved, saving emotion for only the most appropriate times, because of their innate empathy towards one another. The Order simply asks its people to enhance that slightly, that the less emotion felt and the less emotion acted on, the stronger fighter one can become. It is generally understood that to cease one's emotions is not always possible and leeway is given as is due, with two basic exceptions. A Sheikah who gives his or her life to the service of the Royal Family willingly is required to take an oath that they will never partake of the two strongest emotions: Love and hatred. And if one breaks this oath, he or she must willingly resign their position. A Sheikah fighter is allowed to marry only after resigning from his or her duties to the Royal Family. There is no flexibility to this rule, no exceptions made.   
  
As for the circumstances of how the Sheikahs came into the service of the King and Queen, well, there are many myths and rumors but no one alive today knows the entire truth.   
  
-----   
  
_End of Chapter 3 : Staccato. _   
  
-----   
  
I love how the last chapter took me five months to write and this one too me eleven days. Yeah, I'm sort of.. UNRELIABLE. Well, people have been taking random interest in this fic lately and contacting me about it, plus that my beloved beta-er Mara wrote me a FABULOUS Link/Sheik, which inspired me to get my ass in gear, I guess.   
  
I hope I didn't lose anyone at the end there. It sort of ends suddenly, because I realized just how freaking long I could write about the history of a race that doesn't exist. And this is all made up. I don't know, I think there's something wrong with me. XD   
  
All that crap about the Sheikahs was pulled from my own brain, but it was started with help from Wyna Hiros (whom you should seriously check out, her fanfiction and fanart are way too awesome T_T). I recall asking her why she thought Impa had pointy ears and Sheik had round ears and she said something about there being an Eastern and Western tribe. So I SHAMLESSLY STOLE HER IDEA and ran around with it like it was mine. Har. I'm a bad person.   
  
The word I used for the Gerudo poison involved me looking up a "learn Arabic on the web!" site and picking a random word. I have NO idea what it means. Because I am that friggin' awesome. Shit yeah, ladies. I bring those blue sparks. 


End file.
